Xolobeni residents open their homes to wild adventurers

First published by Roving Reporters 

Plans for a daring 22km swim along a section of the Wild Coast earmarked for heavy mineral mining get finalised at a meeting at the Pont, in Port Edward, tonight, Thursday 25 April 2019.

The Wild Swim aims to raise at least R250,000 for eco-tourism in the area and for associated marine conservation and environmental journalism training initiatives.

While the Wild Swim was scheduled to start Friday, 26 April, muddy waters from swollen rivers in the area – and the danger of heightened shark activity – resulted in a temporary postponement.  While waiting for waters to the clear, the swimmers will walk the 22km stretch of coastline while engaging people in a beach clean up.

Safety officer Glen Preston from Med-Evac, said: “We need to fully assess what is happening in the ocean. We cannot have the swimmers heading out into murky waters.”

Lead safety diver, Cera-Jane Catton said “this is also an opportunity to highlight the damage mining will do to the sea, and that we need better systems in place to prevent pollution from entering it constantly.”

The flooding has also prevented Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe from visiting Xolobeni on 25 April.

“The visit would have been part of Government’s ongoing engagement with the community about an integrated and sustainable development approach for the area,” said Mantashe, who has come out strongly in favour of the Xolobeni Minerals Sands Project.

He said it was unfortunate that such a “critical government visit” had to be postponed due to “inadequate road infrastructure”.

While Mantashe has acknowledged concerns that mining could be detrimental to tourism and agricultural prospects in the area, he said he was of the view that “co-existence between these sectors is possible and would boost the economic growth and development of the area.” 

But many people living in the Amadiba area earmarked for mining do not agree. 

The Amadiba Crisis Committee’s legal representative, Richard Spoor, said his clients had only learned about Mantashe’s meeting in “a tender announcement that was forwarded to them”. 

“The Minister’s previous visits to Xolobeni have been characterised by disrespect to our clients, and needless violence against them. They have served to exacerbate the tensions in the community, and have achieved nothing whatsoever,” said Spoor. 

Mantashe recently appealed a High Court ruling that mining cannot proceed without the informed and proper consent of the people living on the land, and Spoor has urged Mantashe not to visit the area until the process had been completed. 

Meanwhile, legendary charity swimmers including Andrew Chin, Mervyn Bremner and Marcelle Webber from Cape Town, and Stan Kozlowski from Durban are walking the section of the Wild Coast earmarked for mining, hoping that conditions will clear soon, enabling them to embark on their daring 22km swim. 

They will be joined by veteran journalists, Fred Kockott from Durban, Mike Loewe from East London, and Craig Bishop from Cape Town, as well as former East Coast Radio DJ, Abi Ray. 

The group will be living in the community and sleeping at home-stays along the route to learn first-hand what people have to say about the proposed Xolobeni Mineral Sands Project.  

Visit www.rovingreporters.co.za to learn more about the Wild Swim.  DM

Luke Riley is a political science and communication student at the University of Maryland. This story was produced with the support of the School for International Training Study Abroad programme and the Human Elephant Foundation.